Fixing Other People's Problems & Vegan Italian Stuffed Peppers
When I was around nine or ten years old, my Grandmother gave me a princess outfit and a magic wand for my birthday.
I loved that magic wand and I thought “wow” I can do anything now. The first thing I did was wish for a bike for my friend Alan. Later that day, he went home and his mother had bought him a bike. He immediately rode his bike over to my house and we just stared at that magic wand.
We were amazed it had worked so quickly. What should we do next? Later that night, I was lying in bed and I came up with this great idea.
Why don't I take my magic wand and walk around the entire town of Winthrop where I lived and give everyone what they want. So I got dressed, snuck outside and started walking up and down the streets of Winthrop waving my magic wand and wishing that everyone would get what they want.
I remember thinking it was very scary because it was so dark but I was on a mission to make everyone happy.
Later, my family discovered I was missing and my father came looking for me. He found me walking down some dark street, dressed in my princess outfit and carrying my magic wand.
He was so angry and yelled for me to get in the car. After I explained to him what I was trying to do, he took the magic wand away from me and broke it in two. I was devastated.
I thought of that story today because I am trying to figure out a way to fix things for someone else.
The truth is, in my heart, I am still that nine-year-old girl who thinks she has a magic wand and can make everyone happy. The reality is, I can't.
A few months ago, I read an excellent book about opening your eyes and mind to new ways of dealing with life.
The author said that people always feel the need to go left or to go right. She said that sitting in the middle is the hardest part because it makes you feel helpless but that is actually self-love.
In other words, every problem doesn't have to be fixed by you…so sit in the middle and feel your feelings about it and don't save the day. It's day 89 – Wish me luck!
- 4 peppers (love red,orange & yellow)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 pepper tops chopped (stems removed)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 11/2 tsp dried basil
- 5 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn
- ¾ cup black beans (canned is fine - rinsed)
- 1½ - 2 cups cooked brown rice (depending on size of peppers)
- ½ cup Daiya (vegan) mozzarella cheese
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2-3 cups tomato sauce - recipe follows or use your own
- 1 28 ounce can kitchen ready tomatoes or whole tomatoes (including juices)
- ½ small onion chopped
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp sugar
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and clean peppers. Cut off tops and remove seeds and membrane. Save tops to chop up for stuffing.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet, add onion, chopped peppers and garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add herbs, corn, black beans, red pepper flakes - continue to saute another 3 minutes. Add 1½ cups cooked rice and fresh basil to saute mixture - mix well. Remove from heat.
- Spread ½ cup sauce in bottom of baking dish. Stuff mixture into peppers. Stand stuffed peppers upright. Pour remaining sauce over the top of peppers. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Remove cover and sprinkle cheese over tops of peppers. Continue to cook another ten minutes until cheese melts. Sometimes I finish it off by broiling the tops of the peppers to give them a little char and nice melt for about a minute but you don't have to.
- You can serve the stuffed peppers with a nice green salad. They are very filling. Also - add any veggies you want like carrots, peas, mushrooms etc
- If using whole tomatoes - crush well with hands.
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until warm but not smoking. Add the onions - cook approx 3 minutes until soft stirring, add garlic - cook another minute
- Add the pureed tomatoes, stir in sugar, salt and pepper, and cook until sauce thickens slightly.
